The McCook tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 1886-1936, 1887-02-24
Native l .ulail Words.

Why we accept and use words with
out really knowing their meaning is a
question no n Il readily answer,
but that it is done daily is easily proven.
No doubt many will feel surprised when
they find many of the words we call
slang are from Il native Indian Ian
guages, and have such d rect and per-
tlnent meanings that we would never
use them again rs we do. to or about
people, after they have been explained
to us.
This was called more forcibly to
mind than ever, through a visit made
Hon. Elijah M. Haines. of Waukegan.
ILL.,, who is N of the few intelligent
and learned men that have been devot-
ing their energies to investigating our
native North American Indian Ian
guages, or, as they are called by the
uninitiated, '.jareons." There is no
doubt but many have used the word
skeezucks. Now, note its meaning.
This word is from the Pequot dialect.
II of the New England tribes, and.
according to liberal translation. means
domestic spy"-a person who is look
ing or spying around through idle GU
r%iosity. Or IL sort of Paul Pry, and
really the plain form of the word mean
ing the eyes.
Hi-us-tv-cu-tus, or Giustycutus, 10
from the Chinook language or jargon
Of a tribe i~nhabiting Oregon and Wash
ington Territory, and means ''big chief"
OF big chief of the RANCH" or .'big
man of the household" and, bringing
it down to the vernacular of the present
day, Big Indian"
We have here in Chicago a celebrated
political club called the Calumet. The
invitations, letter-heads and all printed
matter pertaining to the institution
nave on them an Indians head with
The pipe of peace close hv- Now, the
general acceptance and beEef is that
ibis is an Indian word, and meant to
signify the pipe of peace, rs smoked by
;he Indian tribes of North Americans a
:oken OF sign of peace and friendliness
20 the visitors and strangers, and in
heir councils.
This is not an Indian word, neither
loeS it by itself signify pipe of peace.
The word calumet is Norman French,
md signifies a reed. which the Nor
mans used rs Il tube to their pipes,
and rs they had no other name Cor
pipe except this word calumet, which
related only to the tube of the pipe,
hey called the whole thing calumet.
The Ojibways, of the Indian tribe
C~hippeways, which is the general stock
anguage of the Algonquin group,
lsed the word .'opoygun" as the name
If the pipe, in which they placed to-
oacco for smoking. They had no
other name for the pipe, and made no
distinction in auy class of pipe for use
n smoking, by name. The smoking
the pipe did not, rs is asserted and
believed by many. refer to peace. The
let of smoking might be in token of
peace or in confirmation of q declara-
ion of war.
Pipes for such occasions, whether
hey related to war or peace, were
,rnamented as q matter of taste or to
designate them as pipes for state Occa-
;ions.
You VII bear in mind that, notwith-
the introduction of the word
Calumet to the Indians by the Norman
they continued the name
'opoygun" for the pipe.
The Norman French. who were.
lmong the early explorers of this
country, did not then use the word
by itself alone as a designation
If the pipe of peace. They called it
the calumet of peace" or as we
would say, 1.-The pipe of peace" SO
hat it will be readily seen that the
word calumet means simply q tube or
ipe.-Robert ID. Floyd, I'm Boston
0urier..